What the Golden Globe Awards lack in prestige they make up for in being damn entertaining. The Oscars are a serious affair and you can make all the jokes you want as long as they don't mock the pomp and circumstance of the ceremony. The Golden Globes, on the other hand, are selected by the sycophantic Hollywood Foreign Press Association, and they need to keep a modicum of respectability while still netting all the big-name stars they can to come to their party. Since everyone knows the score, it's a more relaxed affair with meals, jokes, and giving awards to non-traditional nominees that the Academy may not bother to nominate at all, (e.g. Sacha Baron Cohen for Best Actor in a Comedy for Borat).
I'll be live-blogging the event tonight (but not the red carpet since I don't want to mercy-kill myself before the actual awards part begins) and commenting on the awards, the speeches, the jokes, etc. I'll be rooting for certain nominees but the Globes are a poor predictor of who will receive Oscar nominations. It's best to sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.
My commentary will start once the event begins (8:00pm EST), and all of my commentary will be after the jump. For my latest comments, just keep refreshing this article.
Here's the list of nominees. I'll highlight the winner in red.
-- 10:57 -- I'll let the Avatar fans celebrate. Thanks to the three people who stuck with this live-blog tonight. G'night.
-- 10:56 -- Best Motion Picture (Drama): Avatar.
-- 10:55 -- I forgot how draining these shows were.
-- 10:49 -- I think Bridges is the first guy in history to win an award and thank his stand-in. That's just damn cool.
-- 10:46 -- Best Actor (Drama): Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart. I don't mind Bridges winning. I just think the role is too easy.
-- 10:41 -- "Let's give Downey an award because his speech will be amazing." I cannot disagree.
-- 10:39 -- Best Actor (Comedy/Musical): Robert Downey Jr., Sherlock Holmes. Ah, that's how you know you're watching the Golden Globes.
-- 10:36 -- Best Actress (Drama): Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side. I can't believe that movie was good. Its trailers were crafted by demons.
-- 10:35 -- Smart man, that Gervias. Shit on Gibson, but don't fuck around with Rourke.
-- 10:34 -- I'm glad Schwarzenegger had time to take a break from failing at government.
-- 10:31 -- I actually shouted "Holy Shit!" at the Hangover win, and I'm the only one in my apartment.
-- 10:28 -- Best Motion Picture (Comedy/Musical): The Hangover. And like that, The Globes redeemed the entire show, Cameron win included.
-- 10:25 -- And now everyone from The Hangover except the guy who pushed it from good to great.
-- 10:20 -- How does Entourage keep getting nominated for shit? Best TV Series (Comedy): Glee. I watch Glee. It's a guilty pleasure. But 30 Rock and Modern Family are legitimately good shows. T he Office was in the wrong category since it's now a drama.
-- 10:17 -- I work under the belief that it's harder to tell a good story with a small budget than a mediocre one with infinite money. But that's just me.
-- 10:15 -- Well, we come to it: Cameron or Bigelow. There's a right answer and a wrong one. Best Director: James Cameron, Avatar. They chose...poorly.
-- 10:14 -- Gervais hasn't had the best overall night, but I'll give him a win for that Gibson joke.
-- 10:12 -- Damn, that's a dress, Foster.
-- 10:07 -- I love that Scorsese is honoring DeMille. He understands film history. That was a beautiful speech.
-- 10:03 -- That was a cool montage but it shouldn't have finished up with a Shuttler Island promo, even though I really want to see that film.
-- 9:57 -- The Cecil B. DeMille award. Let me sum up now: Martin Scorsese is the greatest (and he is). Going to go make a sandwich.
-- 9:52 -- Wow. Waltz really like astronomy.
-- 9:50 -- Best Supporting Actor (Movie): Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds. If the Oscars want to save time, they should just give him and Mo'Nique their awards now.
-- 9:49 -- Oh, right. Ricky Gervais is hosting.
-- 9:45 -- Best Supporting Actress (TV Series/Mini-series/Made-for-TV-Movie): Chloe Sevigny, Big Love. I don't watch Big Love so I can't comment on Sevigny's win, but I will say I was really rooting for Lynch.
-- 9:38 -- Best TV Series (Drama): Mad Men. It's good that the Globes didn't break the law that states Mad Men must win any awards for Best TV Series (Drama). Also: Christina Hendricks, GOOD GOD. How, Geoffrey Arend? HOW?!
-- 9:35 -- Best Foreign Film: The White Ribbon. I really want to see this film. I can't wait for it to not be screened for critics here in Atlanta because we're a bunch of dumb hicks, what with living in the South and all.
-- 9:33 -- Let us applaud Sofia Loren for being important once and not being dead right now.
-- 9:26 -- Best Actor (TV - Comedy): Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock. Good. And Jesus Christ, why is Maggie Gyllenhaal so shiny?
-- 9:25 -- I'm also waiting for them to say Tarantino's name. Inglourious is the better screenplay and better film.
-- 9:23 -- Best Screenplay: Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner, Up in the Air. Reitman should tweet about this on stage.
-- 9:22 -- I think one of the cameramen has been drinking.
-- 9:18 -- I'm thinking Twitter with an embedded widget may be the best way to go for the next live-blog. We're going to try it out before the Oscars, of course. I'm thinking of live-blogging a bad movie as a test-run. Thoughts?
-- 9:16 -- Okay, that was a really good speech.
-- 9:14 -- Best Actress (Miniseries/TV-Made-for-TV-Movie): Drew Barrymore, Grey Gardens. I wonder how winning this feels compared to once being married to Tom Green.
-- 9:13 -- Best Actor (Miniseries/Made-for-TV-Movie): Kevin Bacon, Taking Chance. I really hope he says, "I feel connected to all of you, in some way."
-- 9:09 -- I know Mirren has gravitas, but was the old white lady the best one to introduce Precious?
-- 9:07 -- Sinbad is going to be on Celebrity Apprentice? DVR'D.
-- 9:05 -- I'm also glad they didn't try to play her off. People want to watch her. We don't need to move it along so we can see who won Best Actor and Actress in Mini-series/TV-movie that nobody saw.
-- 9:03 -- Damn Streep is charming. I love that she can still be flustered when she was pretty much a lock to win.
-- 9:01 -- Best Actress (Comedy/Musical): Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia. Excellent. However, that competition was pretty lightweight. It will be more interesting at the Oscars.
-- 8:59 -- Colin Farrell should always be introduced that way.
-- 8:58 -- Hollywood's nicest guy my ass. Long live the Tooch!
-- 8:57 -- I love how they refused to be played off. So great.
-- 8:54-- Best Mini-Series or TV Movie (i.e. The category where most viewers haven't seen a single nominee): Grey Gardens.
-- 8:51 -- Poor Luke Wilson. Poor, poor Luke Wilson.
-- 8:48 -- Best Score: Michael Giacchino, Up. I would have given it to A Single Man, but Giacchino winning it is totally cool. I also love how excited he is. Folks are getting up there and being way too serious. You can feel honored and still have some fun. It's the freaking Golden Globes.
-- 8:47 -- Oh, and if you thought that "I See You" should have won, your eardrums are a waste.
-- 8:45 -- Best Song: "The Weary Kind", Crazy Heart. Not sure why "Help Yourself" wasn't nominated for Best Song. But "The Weary Kind" is a great song and I'm glad it won.
-- 8:43 -- "Help Yourself" is a nice little song. Too bad it can't be nominated for an Oscar because Academy rules are retarded. Also, nice joke from Gervais about McCartney's divorce.
-- 8:42 -- Harrison Ford looks like he's going to fall asleep at any moment.
-- 8:38 -- Don't tell me what I wondering, Golden Globes Announcer. Get out of my head.
-- 8:36 -- Best Actress (TV - Drama): Julianna Marguilies, The Good Wife. Jesus. Julianna freaking Marguilies landed a better hit at NBC than Gervais.
-- 8:33 -- Best Actor (TV - Drama): Michael C. Hall, Dexter. Again, very well deserved. This was the best season of Dexter so far. I wonder where he worked where folks didn't give a damn.
-- 8:31 -- It's okay, Ms. Huffman. No one cares and you're very charming.
-- 8:29 -- It looks like all Gervais is allow to do is self-promote. At least he made a joke that took some balls.
-- 8:28 -- Hey, Ricky Gervais! I remember him!
-- 8:23 -- I love that the director is trying to play off Pete Docter. If I were in his shoes at that moment, I would have said, "I've made movies that are better than anything you'll ever do in your life. Stop playing music." Of course, I'll never be in his shoes because I don't have a fraction of his talent. So three cheers for imaginary alternate universes.
-- 8:22 -- Best Animated Film: Up. Damn right.
-- 8:21 -- That dude from Rock Band! Awesome!
-- 8:18 -- Best Supporting Actor (TV): John Lithgow, Dexter. I was rooting for NPH, but I got zero problem with Lithgow winning. He was incredible and gave the show a real shot in the arm. And what an organized speech!
-- 8:17 -- Mavis Spencer for Miss Golden Globe! Holy shit! But now on to something that matters.
-- 8:15 -- Still can't believe Gervais had such a short, tame monologue. Let the conspiracy theories begin!
-- 8:12 -- The Globe producers must be celebrating such a short speech.
-- 8:11 -- Best Actress (TV - Comedy): Toni Collette, United States of Tara.
-- 8:07 -- Standing-O for Monique. Well deserved. Sweet speech. Can't wait to see how Jeffrey Wells manages to trivialize it.
-- 8:06 -- Best Supporting Actress: Monique, Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire
-- 8:04 -- Pretty tame fare from Gervais so far. And damn was that short.
-- 8:00 -- And here we go. Time for Gervais to kick ass, specifically NBC's.
Here are all the nominees, in case you're wondering. Again, winners highlighted in red.
BEST MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA
- Avatar
- The Hurt Locker
- Inglourious Basterds
- Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire
- Up in the Air
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
- Emily Blunt, The Young Victoria
- Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
- Helen Mirren, The Last Station
- Carey Mulligan, An Education
- Gabourey Sidibe, Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
- Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
- George Clooney, Up in the Air
- Colin Firth, A Single Man
- Morgan Freeman, Invictus
- Tobey Maguire, Brothers
BEST MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
- (500) Days of Summer
- The Hangover
- It's Complicated
- Julie & Julia
- Nine
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
- Sandra Bullock, The Proposal
- Marion Cotillard, Nine
- Julia Roberts, Duplicity
- Meryl Streep, It's Complicated
- Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
- Matt Damon, The Informant!
- Daniel Day-Lewis, Nine
- Robert Downey Jr. - Sherlock Holmes
- Joseph Gordon-Levitt - (500) Days of Summer
- Michael Stuhlbarg - A Serious Man
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
- Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
- Coraline
- Fantastic Mr. Fox
- The Princess and the Frog
- Up
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
- Baaria (Italy)
- Broken Embraces (Spain)
- The Maid (Chile)
- A Prophet (France)
- The White Ribbon (Germany)
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
- Penelope Cruz, Nine
- Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air
- Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air
- Mo'Nique, Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire
- Julianne Moore, A Single Man
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
- Matt Damon, Invictus
- Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
- Christopher Plummer, The Last Station
- Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones
- Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
BEST DIRECTOR – MOTION PICTURE
- Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
- James Cameron, Avatar
- Clint Eastwood, Invictus
- Jason Reitman, Up in the Air
- Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds
BEST SCREENPLAY – MOTION PICTURE
- District 9
- The Hurt Locker
- It's Complicated
- Up in the Air
- Inglourious Basterds
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE – MOTION PICTURE
- Up
- The Informant!
- Avatar
- A Single Man
- Where the Wild Things Are
BEST ORIGINAL SONG – MOTION PICTURE
- "Cinema Italiano", Nine
- "I Want to Come Home", Everybody's Fine
- "I See You", Avatar
- "The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)", Crazy Heart
- "Winter", Brothers
BEST TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
- Big Love (HBO)
- Dexter (Showtime)
- House (Fox)
- Mad Men (AMC)
- True Blood (HBO)
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
- Glenn Close, Damages
- January Jones, Mad Men
- Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
- Anna Paquin, True Blood
- Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
- Simon Baker, The Mentalist
- Michael C. Hall, Dexter
- Jon Hamm, Mad Men
- Hugh Laurie, House
- Bill Paxton, Big Love
BEST TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
- 30 Rock
- Entourage
- Glee
- Modern Family
- The Office
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
- Toni Collette, United States of Tara
- Courtney Cox, Cougar Town
- Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
- Tina Fey, 30 Rock
- Lea Michele, Glee
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
- Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
- Steve Carell, The Office
- David Duchovny, Californication
- Thomas Jane, Hung
- Matthew Morrison, Glee
BEST MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
- Georgia O'Keeffe (LIFETIME TELEVISION)
- Grey Gardens (HBO)
- Into the Storm (HBO)
- Little Dorrit (PBS)
- Taking Chance (HBO)
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
- Joan Allen, Georgia O'Keeffe
- Drew Barrymore, Grey Gardens
- Jessica Lange, Grey Gardens
- Anna Paquin, The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler
- Sigourney Weaver, Prayers for Bobby
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
- Kevin Bacon, Taking Chance
- Kenneth Branagh, Wallander: One Step Behind
- Chiwetel Ejiofor, Endgame
- Brendan Gleeson, Into the Storm
- Jeremy Irons, Georgia O'Keeffe
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
- Jane Adams, Hung
- Rose Byrne, Damages
- Jane Lynch, Glee
- Janet McTeer, Into the Storm
- Chloe Sevigny, Big Love
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
- Michael Emerson, Lost
- Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother
- William Hurt, Damages
- John Lithgow, Dexter
- Jeremy Piven, Entourage